Missing You
by puppetmonkey5562
Summary: After graduation Rei goes away to California to race while Kira studies art in Japan. Will their love be able to stay strong, or will she find comfort in the arms of another man. TxK, KxR, RxOC.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Mars.  
  
Summary- After graduation Rei goes away to California to race while Kira studies art in Japan. Will their love be able to stay strong, or will she find comfort in the arms of another man. TxK, KxR, RxOC.  
  
Prologue:  
  
It was a busy day at the airport. It was just a week before the first semester of school began, students were coming home from vacation and leaving to go back home. Rei and Kira stood in the center of all the chaos, alone in their own little world.  
  
He shifted from foot to foot and ran a hand through his shoulder length blonde hair. He was never good at good-byes. He looked up at Kira and then cast his eyes back to the rubber streaked white tiles on the floor. "Well, this is it..." Rei said slowly, the words struggling to pass his lips. He hung his head low and allowed his blonde hair to shade his eyes.  
  
She sighed deeply and nodded in agreement. Kira wanted nothing more than to be able to smile at him and say that everything would be okay and that she'd be able to deal with not seeing him in three years, and to be able to tell him that she wouldn't worry too much while he was in California racing motorcycles. Unfortunately, she couldn't hide her raw sadness from him.  
  
"God... Kira, I love you. I'll miss you like crazy while I'm gone," he said, as he caressed her cheek with his hand.  
  
"I'll miss you too," Kira said, her voice straining as she tried to keep the tears from coming. Unfortunately she couldn't stop them and the came running down her cheeks.  
  
Rei bent down and swooped her small body into his arms and held her tightly. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.  
  
"I love you Rei. Be safe out there on the racetrack," Kira said softly.  
  
"I will, make sure that you show those preps what real talent is," he joked, hoping to get her to smile once more before he left. he felt her nod into his chest.  
  
"Flight 009, Tokyo to California will be leaving in fifteen minutes and is boarding now," called an attendants voice over the loud speakers.  
  
Rei reluctantly let go of Kira. "Well, that's me," he told her, although she already knew. He wiped away her tears and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before running off in the opposite direction, leaving Kira to watch sadly as the one person she loved walked out of her life.  
  
"Wait for me!" Rei called to her before turning a corner.  
  
She'd wait for him forever, but a large part of her heart wanted to run after him and forget about the free three year scholarship to Japan's best art school. The other part of her wanted to ask Rei to stay and ignore the offer from the famous biking companies in America. The smaller part of her just wanted to curl up and cry. She hated herself door being so weak without him.  
  
Kira almost jumped when her cellphone vibrated in her back jean pocket.  
  
"Hello..." she muttered into the phone.  
  
"Hey Kira, Rei's flight just left right? Well we're waiting out front. Come and meet us there," came Harumi's cheery voice.  
  
Kira got the message, hung up and stuffed the phone back into her pocket.  
  
After getting lost many times, and asking numerous people for help she found herself in the pick up area of the airport. A red Jetta Volkswagen pulled up in front of her and beeped lightly.  
  
Tatsuya jumped out of the passenger's seat and opened the door for Kira like any other gentleman would have done.  
  
She slipped into the back seat without saying a word. Rei living in America for three years, Harumi going away to beauty school, her mother dying it all felt surreal, like everyone she knew and loved was leaving her.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Harumi asked as she began to drive away from the airport.  
  
"I'm..." she was about to say 'okay', but decided that she'd had enough of having to lie to people about how she really felt.  
  
Harumi gazed at Kira through the rearview mirror for a moment and found the answer to her question on Kira's grieve stricken face.  
  
Tatsuya and Harumi exchanged worried glances. They both feared that Kira would break if Rei weren't around.  
  
"Are you hungry?" Tatsuya asked, trying to break the silence. Kira was bound to be hungry, she spent the entire night helping Rei to pack.  
  
Kira shook her head.  
  
He sighed and hoped that Kira would snap out of her depressed stupor before the school semester began.  
  
Author's Note- I know that this was short, but it's only the prologue. I've already started the first chapter and hope to have it up here soon. It would mean a lot to me if you reviewed. By the way, I was considering getting a Beta Reader so if anybody's interested in reading my chapters before I update (editing, suggesting things etc.) then please put a resume (how long you've been writing, why you want the 'job' and a little about yourself). I'll contact you and maybe we'll work something out. 


	2. Don't Leave me by Myself

Disclaimer: I do not own Mars.  
  
Summary- After graduation Rei goes away to California to race while Kira studies art in Japan. Will their love be able to stay strong, or will she find comfort in the arms of another man. TxK, KxR, RxOC.  
  
The Story So Far- Rei and Kira spend their last moments together waiting for his plane to begin boarding. After he leaves Kira seems extremely depressed.  
  
Chapter One- Don't Leave me by Myself:  
  
Eight Months Later  
  
"Hey, are you there?" called a voice, followed by three loud and heavy knocks.  
  
"Come in... it's open," Kira replied, her voice was strained and raspy.  
  
"I got worried when you didn't return my calls. Why is it so dark in here?" Tatsuya questioned as he felt around for a light switch.  
  
He almost gasped when he finally turned on the light. Her apartment was in shambles, art supplies laid everywhere, shards of glass adorned the carpet, shreds of paper were scattered everywhere and Kira's small body laid in the midst of the chaos.  
  
"What happened? Did somebody break in?" Tatsuya asked worriedly, getting ready to whip out his cellphone and call the police.  
  
She shook her head as her body shuddered with sobs.  
  
He hurried over to her and wrapped his strong arms around Kira and rocked her gently, hoping to be able to console her.  
  
"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked softly as he rested his chin on top of her head.  
  
"It's all over..." she choked out in-between sobs.  
  
"What do you mean?" he questioned, his voice was barely above a whisper. She'd seemed out of touch with the world since Rei left. He would have never guessed that it could get this bad. Tatsuya wholeheartedly blamed Rei for selfishly leaving her behind.  
  
"They say that my work has deteriorated... They've taken back their scholarship," she cried, motioning to the envelope she got in the mail.  
  
"No way!" Tatsuya said, but found himself believing the unbelievable when he saw her most recent artworks on display. They were dark and empty, and not beautiful and bursting with life like the ones she did last year.  
  
"Rei hates me," Kira declared as she began to wipe away her tears.  
  
"That's not true. What gave you that idea?" he asked as he rubbed her back.  
  
"He wont return my calls! He hasn't called me in two months!" she said, quickly reverting to her inconsolable sobbing.  
  
Tatsuya gritted his teeth and cursed Rei under his breath. He hated Rei more than anyone else. How could he put Kira through this? I mean two whole months without calling or mailing her. Kira would had found the time had the roles been switched.  
  
"Tatsuya why doesn't he love me anymore?" she cried, her face was red, shining with tears and her hair was a mess. Even still she looked like an angel to Tatsuya.  
  
"Why don't you get some rest?" Tatsuya suggested gently as he got up and helped Kira to her feet. He didn't know what else to tell her to make her feel better. Saying what was on his mind would only make her feel worse, and he was horrible at lying.  
  
Kira almost tripped over the bottle of paint on the floor and had to lean against Tatsuya for support.  
  
"Here we are," he announced when they made it to her room. "Why don't you change for bed... I'll um go someplace else."  
  
She nodded, not really caring if Tatsuya stayed or left while she changed into her satin pants and shirt.  
  
The phone rang and Tatsuya excused himself to answer it.  
  
"Hello, Aso residence," he answered politely.  
  
"I figured that you'd be here," replied the icy voice on the other line.  
  
"Oh, Harumi... Ugh, I forgot our date haven't I?" he said, stifling a groan.  
  
"I waited at the restaurant for two hours Tatsuya! You didn't even call me!" Harumi yelled. She was more than fed up with Tatsuya's behavior. She spent a lot of time at beauty school, but even when she got off and could spend time with Tatsuya all he spoke about was Kira. It was almost like he was still in love with her.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry. It wont happen again!" Tatsuya said pleadingly. He hated it when Harumi was upset with him.  
  
"Damn right it wont," she replied. "I'm sorry, but this isn't working out," Harumi said curtly.  
  
"No, no please. Don't do this to me. Come on, we can talk this out," he pleaded.  
  
"Tatsuya, I'm sorry. I can't do this. You're still in love with Kira aren't you?" she asked, her voice softer now.  
  
He was speechless. Ever since Rei won her over he acted like he was okay with her going out with Rei and not him. The truth was that he never really got over her, he was in love with Kira since the first time he laid eyes on her in the seventh grade.  
  
Harumi chuckled lightly. "I knew it. I always knew it. I wonder why I always tried to ignore it. The way you look at her. It's although she's the purest thing in the world. When you speak of her, it's as if your speaking of a higher deity. It's beautiful, it really is. You know that she's madly in love with Rei don't you?"  
  
Tatsuya sighed deeply and looked down at his sneakers.  
  
"Just don't get hurt okay?" she said. "Good night Tatsuya."  
  
He didn't answer, he just hung up the phone. He had a lot to work out with himself.  
  
"Hey Kira. It's late," he began, checking his watch. It was already eleven o'clock. "I should get going."  
  
She was silent for a while as she sat on the edge of her bed. She looked like an angel to him, her long hair out and over her shoulders, clad in silky white pajamas.  
  
"No, please don't leave me. I don't think that I could bear another night alone," she whispered. Kira looked like she would break if he left.  
  
He had a bad feeling about staying over the night with her, like he'd be breaking Rei's trust.  
  
"Please, just for tonight," she promised, holding a frail hand out to him.  
  
He nodded and stepped forward.  
  
She took his hand gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear when he pulled her into a tight embrace.  
  
"It's time for you to get some sleep," he told her as he let her go and tucked her into bed.  
  
"It's cold," she murmured.  
  
"Do you want me to turn up the thermostat?" Tatsuya asked, getting ready to get up and do it for her.  
  
"No, they turned off my gas last month. I can't pay the gas anymore... My mom stopped sending me checks and I've been going to school full time, and my boss has been cutting back on the pay checks at the supermarket..." she was starting to get upset again.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Tatsuya asked as he caressed her cheeks.  
  
She closed her eyes and her lips curved upwards slightly.  
  
"I could um... Sleep with you so that you wont be cold. Oh no, not that way not... I mean sleeping, only sleeping," Tatsuya babbled, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.  
  
Kira nodded. "Okay," she said.  
  
He took off his shoes and jacket and slid in the bed behind her. He laid still for a while, not wanting to do anything that would make her uncomfortable. This was all so awkward for him.  
  
She nuzzled against him and he found himself wrapping his arms around her and resting his head against her head.  
  
She fell asleep within minutes. He sighed deeply. He couldn't imagine how much emotional stress she was under. He was happy to be able to do anything for her. He then chuckled, his girlfriend of three years just broke up with him and it didn't phase him at all. All these years he'd been forcing himself to believe that he actually loved Harumi. He stopped thinking of her for a while and listened to Kira's heartbeat. He wondered if she'd ever be able to forget about Rei and if he'd ever have a chance with her. He then wondered if it was alright for him to think that way about his bestfriend's girlfriend. He was so confused and so tired of being lonely and unhappy, having to watch as Rei carelessly neglected the woman he'd give anything to be with.  
  
"I love you..." she murmured in her sleep, causing Tatsuya's heart to rise. "I love and miss you so much Rei..." she mumbled.  
  
Tatsuya's heart broke into many pieces. It hurt to be around someone he loved so deeply that was madly in love with a selfish bastard like Rei. He ran a frustrated hand through his short and shaggy blond hair. He really shouldn't be thinking about his best friend like that.  
  
Kira woke up alone in bed to the smell of southwestern styled omelets. She followed the scent of eggs, red and green sweet peppers and bacon to her kitchen. There she found Tatsuya setting the table.  
  
"Good morning," he greeted her. He took the opportunity to look her over while she admired the table. He could see every lush curve of her body through her silk pajamas.  
  
She was almost speechless. Rei never did things like cook for her. It was always the other way around and it felt strange to have somebody pamper her like this.  
  
"Thank you Tatsuya. You're so sweet," she said, giving him a bright smile.  
  
Tatsuya smiled back. "How are you feeling?" he asked, remembering how she was last night.  
  
"I'm better now. Thank you for staying by me," she said as she stepped forward and gave Tatsuya a polite hug.  
  
"No problem," he said, he was happy to see her smiling again. She pulled away and sat at the table to eat.  
  
"Mmm, this is great," she commented after taking her first bite.  
  
"Thanks," he replied, blushing a bit.  
  
"I didn't know you cooked," she said, taking a sip of her freshly squeezed orange juice.  
  
"I cooked for my brothers and sisters when my parents were out, which was pretty often," he explained.  
  
"Oh."  
  
They finished eating in silence.  
  
"Why don't you change while I clear up the dishes," Tatsuya suggested.  
  
"No, I couldn't allow you to do that after you've done so much for me," she insisted as she began to pick up her plate and cup.  
  
"You've had it tough lately. Let me help you out a bit okay?" Tatsuya replied as he took the plate and cup and ordered her out of the kitchen.  
  
Kira almost cried when she stepped into the living room she'd trashed earlier. It was cleaned, vacuum,ed, furniture was polished, he whole nine yards. Tatsuya must have woken up really early to have done all of this for her. She felt truly blessed to have a friend like him.  
  
Author's Note: This was a pretty good chapter. I know that there was a bit of Rei-bashing done by Tatsuya, but you've got to understand where he's coming from. There's a bit more to come, so please no flaming! There's more Rei-bashing to come, but don't worry good things will happen to him later on in the fic. Please review! likes long reviews 


	3. Heart Breaking Discoveries

Disclaimer: I do not own Mars.  
  
Summary- After graduation Rei goes away to California to race while Kira studies art in Japan. Will their love be able to stay strong, or will she find comfort in the arms of another man. TxK, KxR, RxOC.  
  
Response to Reviews-  
  
Kitsunia- ::Sobs a bit:: I missed you, but I'm glad you're here now. I'm really surprised that you and the other reviewers haven't flipped out about all the Rei bashing. There's a lot more to come unfortunately, but towards the end he'll redeem himself...  
  
Kasia- Yeah that'll be fun, Rei and Tatsuya fighting over Kira. What's really going to be interesting is who Kira decides to be with in the end...  
  
Animefan rikku- ::Pouts:: I know I know, my long chapter streak has ended for now. I try and I try, really I do... but the chapters come out midbie- ish. I'll keep working on it though... Yes you're right, the Rei bashing can be fun.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!  
  
Chapter 2- Heart Breaking Discoveries  
  
Tatsuya's wet hands were badly shriveled from washing dishes and he was almost nauseous from the harsh smell of the cheap lemony dishwashing liquid. The last time Kira washed the dishes must have been weeks ago, for the sink was piled high with dishes, pots, pans and cups. He was almost grateful when he heard the loud and high pitched ringing of the telephone.  
  
"Hello, Aso residence," he answered, wondering if Harumi was calling to find out if he'd spent the night at Kira's house. Although he was over her it would be a huge ego booster if she was still pining over him.  
  
"Oh, uh... Hey Tatsuya... I must have called the wrong number I'm trying to call Kira," answered the person on the other line, sounding seemingly bewildered.  
  
He parted his lips, and then shut them once more in surprise, Tatsuya hadn't heard from Rei in months. "You called the right number," he began after he got over his shock, but couldn't find an excuse that sounded better than 'I spent the night.' Deep down he wanted to say it, perhaps make Rei jealous or curse him for not calling Kira sooner and causing her to be the way she is now. He seriously considered both, but then decided not to, only for Kira's sake.  
  
Rei wondered why Tatsuya would be at Kira's house so early in the morning and waited for an explanation but decided that it was unimportant when he received none. After knowing Tatsuya for five years he highly doubted that Tatsuya would be capable of doing something as deceptive as sleeping with his girlfriend. "So what's up with you?" he asked casually, trying to get the conversation ball rolling.  
  
A small frown appeared on Tatsuya's face as he studied the small brown tiles on the countertop. He was beginning to feel guilty for considering having Kira as his own, when she was dating his best friend of five years. "Um, nothing really. College is fine. My brother Keichi just started high school... So, how's life in America?" Tatsuya questioned.  
  
Rei let out a deep sigh and paused for a while. "Stressful... Really, really, stressful. Waking up early every morning to exercise and keep in tiptop shape for the races, photo shoots, endorsements and all that other shit they have me doing" he complained as he rolled his eyes expressively. "But I guess that you can't complain when you get to ride the most expensive bikes, sleep in the best hotels and have girls throwing themselves at your feet can you?" he added, trying lightening the mood although his heart wasn't really in it.  
  
Tatsuya nodded sadly, he faked being happy just as badly as Kira did. "Yeah I guess so. Kira misses you a lot you know," he said softly, not quite letting on how much Kira missed Rei.  
  
A long pause of silence elapsed before Rei spoke again. "I know, but there's nothing I can do that about it. She'll have to wait it out until I make it back," he replied. "I know that sounds a bit cruel, but I'm doing this so that we can have a happy life when I get back. Is she there? Can I talk to her?"  
  
After hearing Rei's selfless explanation of why he left Kira made him feel a bit bad for labeling him as the bad guy in his head. "Yeah sure, I'll put her on. Hold on a minute," Tatsuya said as he set the telephone set on the table and walked through the living room and down the hall to the bathroom. He rapped at the door. "Kira, Rei's on the phone." Tatsuya shifted from foot to foot as he listened to everything in the bathroom go crashing to the floor and heard her stumble towards the door in an effort to hurry to the phone. He tried to fight his raging hormones as she emerged from the bathroom, pearls of water adorning her body, clad in only a bath towel. She was more beautiful than usual.  
  
"Thanks Tatsuya," Kira said in passing as she hurried over to the phone, simply bubbling with energy and excitement. She picked up the phone and placed it against her ear, listening to Rei's steady breathing for a while before speaking. "Hey Rei," she said softly, a wide grin on her face.  
  
Tatsuya stood at the door, watching her silently as he wondered if she'd ever smile like that for him. Although deep down he was happy that she was happy his heart was being torn to bits because he was saw just how much she cared for him.  
  
"Hey Kira, how have you been?" he asked as he stifled a yawn that had been building while he spent the morning exercising and trying out a new prototype for the motorcycle company.  
  
"I'm good," she lied as she cast Tatsuya a nervous glance, hoping that he hadn't said anything to Rei earlier. "How are you?" she asked him sweetly.  
  
Rei purposely ignored her question, he hated lying to her more than anything else. "Are you sure, I mean we haven't seen each other in almost a year..." he said, trying to push the truth out of her.  
  
Kira twirled the phone line with her fingers and shifted from foot to foot nervously. The last thing she wanted was to burden him with her problems when she knew that he probably had a fair load of problems himself. "I'm just fine, I'm a big girl, don't worry about me!" she said, faking cheer and hoping that he wouldn't pick up on it. "How are you doing?" she asked again.  
  
"Huh, oh what did you say?" he asked distractedly. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, just fine," he mumbled. "I'm sorry but I've got a press meeting coming up, I've got to go," Rei said quickly as he began to rummage through his things.  
  
"But Rei can't you just..." she began before getting cut off by him.  
  
"I can't be late for this one, I'll call you tomorrow I promise," he said. "Bye, I love you."  
  
"I... love... you... to..." she said softly as she heard the line go dead. She hung up and looked down at her bare feet. She looked over at Tatsuya who was standing in the door frame of the kitchen and smiled to hide her disappointment. "He had to go to a meeting," she explained, making it seem like she really didn't mind when the truth was that there was so much more that she wanted to talk to him about.  
  
"Are you sure? You don't look okay," he said. It pained him terribly to see her look so hurt and have absolutely nothing he could do to make her smile again. Once again he cursed Rei for putting him in this position.  
  
She nodded slowly, looking down at her feet as she hoped that he'd believe her and not push it any further.  
  
A thick and suffocating cloud of awkward silence descended upon them for a while until it was finally cleared by Tatsuya.  
  
"Um, so do you want to go somewhere?" Tatsuya asked, trying to break the ice between them. He cast her a sideways glance.  
  
Kira was about to decline when a thought struck her. "Hey, can we go to the art gallery opening on the boardwalk?!" she asked, her face lighting up all of a sudden as she buzzed with excitement and anticipation.  
  
Tatsuya would have shook his head vehemently under any other circumstances, but looking at her now, he just couldn't say no to her. In fact, he couldn't think of any situation where he'd deny her anything. He shoved his hands deep into the front pockets of his denim jeans and nodded his head in bitter defeat.  
  
"Yay, thanks Tatsuya!" she said cheerfully as she skipped over to him and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek to his.  
  
Although he knew that it meant nothing to her, inside his heart was burning with happiness and a smile played on his face. When he remembered that she was clad in a towel alone and felt it unraveling slowly against his chest he quickly tried to pull away before something embarrassing happened.  
  
"You're the best!" she whispered into his ear before walking off to her bedroom to get some clothes on.  
  
She emerged from her bedroom within minutes wearing faded denim capries and a plain white tank top. Her outfit very much reflected her personality, simple and sweet. "I'm ready to go!" she announced as she slipped her feet into her sneakers at the door and reached for her keys.  
  
"Okay then," he replied, thinking of their outing to the art gallery opening as a date to make it seem less boring. He held the front door open for her to pass, waited for her to lock the door from the outside and then followed her down the hallway.  
  
Kira paused when she stepped out of the front door of the apartment building. She took in a deep breath and smiled from ear to ear. She hadn't stepped out of the apartment in days due to her state of depression. "It's beautiful out here isn't it?" she chirped.  
  
"You're beautiful," Tatsuya said as he looked down at Kira's head, her blonde hair shining and shimmering in the bright midday sun.  
  
"Huh, what was that?" she asked as she looked up at him curiously, squinting from the glare of the sun.  
  
Heat flooded his cheeks causing him to blush a shade of deep red. "Oh nothing..." he said, losing all confidence, something Rei never would have done. He then wondered if he would have won her over in the beginning if he had been more upfront and confident.  
  
"Hey Tatsuya," Kira said, breaking the awkward silence as they walked down the street.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, turning his attention from the birds fluttering about in the trees to the beautiful woman beside him.  
  
"Thanks a lot for being there for me like this all the time. It means the world to me, and I love you for it," Kira said honestly as she smiled up at him and slipped her arm into his. This caused his heart to pitter patter around in his rib cage. It was close to unbearable to have her so close to him and know that her heart still longed for another. Knowing this, he still couldn't stop hoping that one day she'd reciprocate his feelings. "You're the best friend I've ever had," she completed as she held onto his arm tighter.  
  
He simply nodded in return, feeling hurt and disappointed once more. It seemed to be something he always felt when he was around her  
  
"Aha!" Kira announced proudly after a good fifteen minutes of walking. She paused outside of one of the many buildings on the street and gazed up at the address. "This is it!" she squealed excitedly. "I can barely even remember the last time I went to an art opening like this," Kira explained, her voice a mere whisper. She stepped in-between the exhibits slowly with deliberate footsteps as if not to disturb the subjects of the artworks. "Oh, I remember!" she said quickly when the thought popped into her mind. "It was... um what was it two, or was it three years ago? It was when I painted Rei and won that award..." she then stood still for a while.  
  
Tatsuya slipped his arm out from hers and stuffed them into the pockets of his jeans. He then stepped from foot to foot uncomfortably. When Kira failed to complete her train of thought Tatsuya decided to leave it alone and turned his attention to other things. Kira walked around the artworks and paused in front of random art pieces and would place her hand on her chin, or tilt her head to the side as though she were wondering what the artist was thinking, or what medium was used. Tatsuya stayed where they last stood together. He felt so out of place in a room among artists.  
  
After a while he'd watched enough people pass by and look at art pieces that he figured that he saw enough to be able to imitate it. So he went from table to table, cocking his head to one side, placing a hand on a hip and one on his chin and murmuring to himself every now and then. It was fun for a while because people would come up to him and ask what he thought was best about the artwork, but eventually he got bored with it and began to look around for Kira.  
  
"Hey, are you ready to go yet?" Kira asked softly from behind him. "I wanted to ask sooner, but you looked like you were so into it that I didn't want to interrupt."  
  
Tatsuya grinned in return, glad that even she'd been fooled into thinking that he was into art, and secondly, because she was finally ready to leave.  
  
"Let's go then," he replied, leading the way to the front door.  
  
The bright summer midday sunlight forced Kira and Tatsuya to squint their eyes until they found shelter from the sun underneath a large leafy tree.  
  
"Soo... Where to?" Kira asked, looking up at Tatsuya with her large deep brown deer eyes.  
  
He thought for a while when a thought came to him. "There's an ice- cream parlor near by and I hear their stuff is really good. Would you like to go?" he asked, hoping she'd say yes.  
  
"Sure, sounds great," Kira replied happily as they began to walk down the street and towards the ice cream parlor. In the ninety degree weather many of the young women of Japan were walking around clad in short shorts and skimpy tank tops. Kira looked down at her own attire and wondered if she was up to par with everybody else and if the girls in California, Arizona, or wherever Rei was now were the same way. From what she'd seen on television and read in magazines the American women appeared to dress skimpier and to be far more voluptuous. She immediately cursed herself for being weak enough to think that Rei would actually be attracted to somebody else.  
  
"Um... This is it," Tatsuya said awkwardly, taking hold of Kira's forearms and gently leading her towards the front door.  
  
"Huh?!" Kira said warily, snapping out of her thoughts and back into the real world. "Oh, yeah. I guess it's the sun making me ditty," Kira said with a light chuckle as she walked through the door that Tatsuya was holding open for her. She was lost in awe upon entering the parlor. The red and white stripes that adorned the tables, counters and walls gave the place a vintage look of a nineteen-fifties ice cream parlor on television. She'd never had the opportunity to go to obscure and ritzy places like this. Rei was always just content sitting around the house and lately she didn't really have the cash to be able to afford going anywhere.  
  
"Would you like to choose the table?" he asked politely as he began to feel awkward standing in the middle of the seating area while Kira looked around like a child at a new toy store.  
  
"Um, it's all right. Anyplace you choose would be fine," she said quickly as her cheeks flushed a shade of deep crimson when she realized that people were looking at them.  
  
Tatsuya smiled at how easily embarrassed she was and chose the booth closest to the cash register and got menu's for both of them.  
  
"Wow!" Kira said as she held the menu out in front of her and quickly skimmed each column. "I didn't know that so many flavors of ice cream existed!" she exclaimed. "I just don't know which one to pick."  
  
He stole glances at her while she was studying her menu, trying to see which flavor she'd enjoy the most although if she asked he'd buy a sundae in each flavor available. The look of utter content on her face had no price tag.  
  
Over in the US-  
  
"Girls get closer to Rei!" hollered the stout cameraman clad in an oversized black tee-shirt and badly torn denim jeans as he clicked away and moved from side to side to capture the scene at various different angles.  
  
Rei's dull gaze swept from corner to corner of the small studio. The lights glaring down at him made him feel as though he was close to fainting and the thickly padded leather racing suit did nothing to help. The swarm of bikini clad women also increased the temperature on the set.  
  
"Rei look here!" cried the man taping the scene for his documentary.  
  
"No, no no! Look at me! Smile for the camera, try to seduce the millions of women that will be looking at this photo next week on the newsstands!" demanded to camera man as he aggressively yanked an oil stained napkin from his chest pocket and wiped off the sweat from his brow and cheeks.  
  
Seducing women through pictures? He wondered if the magazine this photo was going to was going to be printed in Japan? He knew that Kira worried about him, and with good reason considering the population of females that showed up at all the meets and he didn't want to give her any more reason to stay up late at night. In fact he didn't want to do any of this to begin with, but unfortunately when he signed the three year contract with the American biking company he signed away all his rights and wasn't able to control what kind of image he was putting out to the media. All they wanted the public to see was an extremely good looking bad-ass biker guy from Japan.  
  
"Enough, enough enough! If Rei cannot focus and make love to the camera there is no point in continuing this shoot. We might as well just spend another ten thousand to rent this studio out tomorrow and take care of it then," the camera man said with an overly exaggerated sigh. "Oh, and another two hundred to ask these beautiful young women to come back again."  
  
"I'd do it for free," whispered the women on his left seductively into his ear as she wrapped a freshly waxed leg around his.  
  
Rei's body stiffened as he stepped away from the crowd. "I can't do this now," he mumbled as he stumbled towards his dressing room.  
  
He malevolently glared at the red star that had his name on it on the front door as he pushed it open and collapsed on the cheap and badly tattered love seat against the wall. His fingers anxiously found their way to the zipper and he unzipped the biking suit half way, revealing the thin white t-shirt he wore underneath. After catching his breath he stared up at the badly stained once white tiles on the ceiling and wondered what his love, Kira was doing at this very moment. He imagined her face and wondered if it had matured any since the last time he laid eyes upon them, wondered what she was wearing or who she was with or what she was thinking. To be honest he may have missed her more than she missed him but couldn't let her know because he wanted to be the strong one, the one she could lean on for support.  
  
Once more, as he did each night he imagined her smiling face and drifted off to sleep, hoping to have a chance to be in her arms one day soon.  
  
Over in Japan-  
  
"Ugh, I can't believe it just started pouring like that, just out of nowhere!" Kira exclaimed as she offered Tatsuya back his soaked denim jacket that had doubled as her umbrella during their walk back home.  
  
Tatsuya took it from her and hung it on the back of the kitchen chair to dry. "Yeah, that was one strange change of weather. Why don't you go and dry off before you get sick and get pneumonia or something?" he suggested before getting ready to change clothes himself.  
  
Kira nodded and obediently did as she was told. When she exited the bathroom ten minutes later she was dressed in a loosely fitting t-shirt that probably belonged to Rei at one point, and white shorts.  
  
Tatsuya heard the door open and turned to look. He found it hard to look away, but somehow managed to force his attention back to the stove. "Would you like some hot chocolate?" he called to her.  
  
"Aww, Tatsuya! You shouldn't be anywhere near the kitchen! You're a guest... um somewhat..." she paused as she thought a while about why he was actually there. "Well I guess that what I'm trying to say is that you're doing far more than enough by staying here with me and keeping me company. I'll finish up while you get comfortable and watch tv or something."  
  
Tatsuya considered protesting, but decided that he was tired and then walked over to the living room and plopped down unto the couch.  
  
Moments later he was joined by Kira and she passed him a cup of chocolatey steaming hot chocolate and she sat down next to him. For the first few moments they both sat there staring blankly at the tv screen, neither of them actually paying attention to what was going on. Kira was lost in her own little world of deep thoughts while Tatsuya mused about what she might be thinking about at the moment.  
  
As time went on Kira's lids got heavier and soon enough she fell asleep and her head gently landed upon Tatsuya's broad and muscular shoulder. He looked down upon his sleeping beauty and smiled. When they were like this, so intimate and yet innocent at the same time he couldn't help but to think about the possibility of them being an item one day. Then he remembered that it's a waste even thinking about it because she will forevermore be in love with his best friend Rei. He still failed to understand how she could be so content being in love with a selfish man and began to wonder about how he could change her mind and win her heart.  
  
Author's Notes- I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I'd like to give a special thanks to my beta-reader and the great ideas offered to make this chapter as good as it is. Please please please review my fic and let me know what you thought of it and what you'd like to see in the future. 


	4. Starting Over

Disclaimer- I do not own MARS manga nor do I own any of the characters in this story.  
  
Response to Reviews-  
  
Kitsunia- Thanks for reviewing it means a lot to me! Here's the next chappy, I know it's a bit short but the next one will be much longer to make up for the shortness.  
  
GoddessDiana-To be honest I'm not sure which one Kira should end up with either. It would be too traditional for her to end up with Rei, but Tatsuya doesn't have much over Rei (in my opinion at least). I dunno, I'll make up my mind soon enough. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
The story-  
  
The high pitched ring of the telephone woke Tatsuya from his light slumber. He shifted Kira's head from his shoulder and ran to answer the phone so it wouldn't wake Kira too.  
  
"Hello?" he puffed angrily, wondering who would be calling this late at night. "Hello?!?" he repeated a little louder than before after reviewing no response.  
  
"Tatsuya?" Rei asked, sounding more than a little annoyed.  
  
"Rei, why are you calling here so late?" Tatsuya asked.  
  
"Why are you at Kira's house?" Rei asked.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Just be glad that she has somebody she can talk to while you're away in Califor..."  
  
"Arizona," Rei corrected him curtly.  
  
"Whatever. You really thought she'd be able to make it alone?" Tatsuya asked him mockingly.  
  
"She has other people, Harumi, friends at art school... I suppose you," Rei said in his own defense.  
  
"Friends at art school? Have you ever known her to be any good at making friends?" Tatsuya asked, feeling bad about saying something so mean about Kira even though it was true.  
  
"I don't know why you're so pissed off,but I called to speak to Kira and not to listen to you mouth off about shit," Rei retorted.  
  
"It's late and Kira's asleep. Did you expect her to be awake at this time of the night?" Tatsuya asked.  
  
"I didn't expect you to be there either," Rei said angrily.  
  
"You're such an asshole. You think calling once in a blue moon will make up for not being around when Kira needs you," he said, feeling more confident than usual. He'd never been able to say such things to Rei without feeling intimidated.  
  
"Fuck you okay! You have no idea what I've been going through. You act like I'm out here having a great time, or like I'm doing this to be cruel to Kira. I'm out here doing the only thing I'm good at so I can take care of Kira and be a respectable person. Don't you think I know how much she misses me? I'm not that stupid. I've been trying like crazy to get a weeks vacation so I can fly over and visit her but things aren't looking too good. Racing season's coming up and if I leave now they'll drop me from all the competitions," Rei explained in a huff.  
  
"Whatever," Tatsuya said feeling a bit defeated. "You know that Kira lost her scholarship right?"  
  
"What? No way, when did this happen?" Rei asked as he edged to the end of his seat.  
  
"It happened perhaps over a week ago. I came over to visit and everything was out of place, her apartment looked like a hurricane hit it, and you know what a neat freak she is," he informed Rei.  
  
Rei was silent, still in shock.  
  
"Yeah, that's right Rei she lies when she tells you that she's okay. Kira murmurs your name in her sleep. In fact you're all she thinks about!" he exclaimed, letting out a frustrated gruntish noise.  
  
"I wish that there was something I could do about that, but I'm doing the best I can... I know you're a good guy Tatsuya and I trust you whole heartedly. Just, don't get too close to her okay?"  
  
"I wouldn't... You're my best friend remember?" Tatsuya said, trying to convince himself as well as Rei.  
  
"I just don't feel right here with you always around her... You should worry more about yourself and stop yourself from falling in love with her. I know you liked her before I did and I guess you were forced to forget about your feelings when we cot together and maybe a part of you still likes her. I'm telling you now, even if it weren't for me things between you two wouldn't work out. When she wakes up tell her I'll call her back as soon as possible. I'm going to get the wrong impression if I hear you pick up again..." and then the line went dead.  
  
Tatsuya frowned deeply, troubled by what Rei said. He glanced over at Kira on the couch as she slept. He wondered who she was thinking of and then grimaced, realizing that it was probably Rei. Maybe Rei was right and the best thing for him to do was to distance himself from Kira. She'd never love him like she did Rei so what's the point? He'd only end up getting hurt in the end.  
  
The next morning they sat down at her kitchen table eating cold cereal and milk that Kira has prepared for them. Perhaps after weeks of being depressed and not cooking it was the equivalent of a continental breakfast.  
  
"What am I going to do with my life ?" she asked aloud, breaking the silence. "I want to be someone Rei can be proud of. Maybe I should get a job and go back to art school? Or go to a cheaper city college and major in art?" she suggested.  
  
Tatsuya simply nodded, still a bit miffed by his conversation with Rei last night. "Go for it," he said with a sad smile. "I'm going back to my apartment tonight," he announced suddenly after a few moments of silence.  
  
Kira nodded. "Thanks again for staying with me and helping me get myself together... Hey, would it be okay if I moved in with you? I mean if I'm going to go back to college I don't think I'd be able to afford paying for this apartment alone and pay for school at the same time will I? However if I move in with you, pay for half of the rent and utilities and for my college payments then things will be easier," she said with a huge smile on her face. She watched as Tatsuya played around with the soggy cereal and frowned slightly. "Only for a while, until I get the hang of working and going to college at the same time. If it's okay with you, if it's not then I'll understand..."  
  
"What about Rei? Wouldn't he be upset?" Tatsuya asked, wondering why he really cared what Rei would think.  
  
"Why should he?" Kira asked curiously. "It's just you, I mean if it were any other guy then yeah he's flip... but it's you so it's okay." She got up and began to clean off the table  
  
"Yeah, you're right," he replied, feeling severely deflated. She leaned over from behind him and picked up his empty bowl and glass, her long hair tickling his ear which caused his heart to flutter. He wondered if he's be able to deal with her living with him. He was a young man with raging hormones after all.  
  
Rei grunted as he pushed the one hundred and fifty pound bar for the twentieth time that set. He closed his eyes, for he grew tired of staring up at the sloppily painted ceiling of the gym his manager locked him up in for hours at a time each day.  
  
His mind drifted odd to Kira as he mused over what he and Tatsuya spoke about earlier on the phone. He hated feeling like the bad guy, and the way Tatsuya illustrated the picture of what happened he was nothing more than a selfish bastard who ditched his loving girlfriend to chase a stupid pipe dream. Rei grinded his teeth in frustration and shook the hair from his forehead. He needed to find some other way to reach out to Kira, weekly phone calls surely weren't cutting it. If he didn't come up with something fast he feared that Tatsuya would surely steal Kira away from him. 


	5. 3 Libras

Disclaimer- I do not own MARS manga nor do I own any of the characters in this story.  
  
Tatsuya chanced another glance at Kira from across the room. She'd caught him gazing at her many times earlier that day and he was running out of excuses. It felt like a dream, the girl he was madly in love with was moving in with him. He was more certain than ever, this was his chance to make her fall in love with him.  
  
"I think this is all!" she said with pride. She got up from the crate she sat on and looked over the small mountains of boxes at Tatsuya. "How are things over there? Need any help 'Suya?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.  
  
"Huh?" he said, looking up from the box he was labeling. It took him a while to respond to his new nickname. "Oh, uh I'll be done in ten. You go and get cleaned up. When you're done we'll go and eat," he told her. He knew she'd be hungry at about this time.  
  
She looked down at her stomach when she heard it grumble and held it with her hands. "Sounds good."  
  
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Tatsuya held the glass door open for her as Kira stepped inside of the burger joint. Her eyes swept the scene as Tatsuya led her to a table. She remembered the many evenings she spent here with her friends in high school. Everyone who was anyone would hang out here after school and on weekends. None of the teenagers who sat in the booths, waitresses or busboys. It reminded Kira of how things changed with time.  
  
He held the menu out to Kira when he noticed that she hadn't picked it up yet. "Or do you already know what you want to order?" he asked.  
  
Kira was jolted out of her thoughts and looked at the menu in his hands. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Tatsuya.  
  
"Chocolate milkshake, cheeseburger and tater tots?" he filled in for her. He watched her order enough times to remember what her favorites were.  
  
Kira couldn't help but to blush. She didn't know that he paid that much attention to her. She nodded, not really knowing what else to say.  
  
Realizing that he'd made her feel uncomfortable he could have kicked himself. "So, uh..." he began, trying to make conversation.  
  
"May I take your order?" piped a waitress, relieving Tatsuya of having to come up with something to say.  
  
"Chocolate shake, cheeseburger, tater tots, super large coke, double cheeseburger and large fries," Tatsuya said, handing her their menu's.  
  
The waitress jotted down the last of their order in her notepad and tucked it, along with their menu's into the large pockets of her apron. "Thank you for ordering, your selection will be ready shortly," she said before leaving, sounding like a prerecorded voice.  
  
Kira folded her hands on the table out of nervousness and studied patterns on the marble table. She wondered if the waitress thought they were dating. It was normally only boyfriends and girlfriends who ordered each others food at restaurants.  
  
Tatsuya and Kira sat together at the table in silence, both were afraid to breath too loudly and break the mind lulling silence.  
  
Just when the awkward silence was proving to be too much for Kira the bubbly waitress appeared once more. This time she had a large red tray in each hand. She placed one on the table and neatly set Kira's meal in front of her and then placed Tatsuya's food in front of him. "Enjoy you're meal," she said after stacking the trays on top of each other and going to check up on another table. Kira watched as her shiny raven colored hair bounced above her shoulders.  
  
She turned her attention to the meal in front of her when the waitress disappeared from view. Kira reached out for her glass of milkshake and slowly sipped from the straw. A sigh was building up within, not only was she missing Rei again but it seemed that a wall was between herself and Tatsuya.  
  
Tatsuya glanced up at her for the first time since the food came. He could tell that she wasn't having a good time by the way she rearranged her tater tots and shifted in her seat. "So, what are you doing later tonight?" he asked, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.  
  
Kira's eyes shot up from the rim of her milkshake and looked him in the eyes. "Nothing really, just checking to see if I've packed away all my clothes and stuff," she said after a long pause. "Why?"  
  
"Noth.." he began but decided that backing out would be the cowardly thing to do. "Would you like to go to the movies with me?"  
  
Kira looked up and smiled, after being locked up in her apartment for weeks cleaning and packing she'd jump at any invitation out. "Sure."  
  
Tatsuya's heart soared and he grinned from ear to ear. This was the second best thing to happen to him in ages, first only to Kira's moving in with him.  
  
The rest of their meal was in complete silence, but Tatsuya didn't mind.  
  
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As they walked back to Kira's apartment after the movie Tatsuya eyed her hand dangling next to his. It was so close he could feel the heat radiating from it, he could imagine how soft her hand would feel against his palm. He pondered taking it in his but did not want to risk scaring her off.  
  
She continued to babble on about the plot of the movie, how great the actors were and whether or not there would be a sequel. Her words were lost on Tatsuya, he couldn't even remember the main character's name. Having her sit next to him in the dim theater was too distracting. Thinking back on it now he could almost laugh, was it healthy to be that in love with a person?  
  
"'Suya! 'Suya! 'Suya!" she called, stopping in the middle of the street they were crossing. "Tatsuya..."  
  
Five footsteps later when he noticed that she wasn't walking next to him he looked back at her.  
  
"Do you not like your nickname? You don't answer when I call you 'Suya. If you didn't like it all you had to do was say so," she said, he could hear the sadness laced in her voice. Her feelings were so easily hurt.  
  
"Of course I like it. I'm sorry I didn't answer, I was deep in thought," Tatsuya said, coming up with a quick response.  
  
She was still unsure of him and stayed rooted to her spot in the road.  
  
The pedestrian light turned red and Tatsuya grabbed her hand and pulled her across the street. They both blushed when they noticed that an entire street later they were still holding hands.  
  
"I uh..." Tatsuya stammered, trying to come up with an excuse.  
  
Kira laughed it off and continued down the street, swinging his arm playfully like two children would at a park. "It's such a beautiful night!" she said, gazing up at the sky for a moment. "I wish I could sleep outside, in a park on a bench... surrounded by flowers," she said, making it up as she went along.  
  
Tatsuya smiled down at her softly. "That's why I love you," he said softly.  
  
"Huh? What do you love?" Kira asked, not catching all of what he said.  
  
"That's what I love about summer," he lied, not having the courage to repeat what he said.  
  
"Me too," she said with a nod.  
  
They arrived at her front door in no time. They stood in front of each other, unsure of how to end the wonderful evening.  
  
"I had fun tonight," Kira said finally, looking up at him.  
  
"Me too," he replied.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow. Then we'll be roommates, I can't wait!" she said, giving him her brightest smile.  
  
"Me neither," said Tatsuya, bending down and kissing her gently on her forehead. "Good night."  
  
Kira watched as he walked down the hall and got on the elevator. A trembling fingers touched the spot on her forehead where Tatsuya kissed her, it was still tingling. A smile crept upon her face as she slipped into her apartment. She walked over to the window and cracked it open, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tatsuya before he went too far. A motorcycle zipped down the road and brought back memories of Rei. She closed the window and went to the bathroom to prepare for bed. That sleepless night guilt overwhelmed her.  
  
A/N- ::Sighs and grumbles:: I'm sorry, I tried to upload the song fic version of this chapter but the italics wouldn't show up so it was hard to differentiate the lyrics from the story. If you'd like to read the song fic version of this chapter say so in your review or e-mail me at 


	6. Can't Live Without You

"Not bad," Kira said with a satisfied grin. She glanced around at the apartment she'd be sharing with Tatsuya from then on. "I guess we can start putting the things away tomorrow morning," she said to Tatsuya who was stretched out on the couch.

With his eyes closed and his hands behind his head he nodded. "M'kay," he murmured, very exhausted from a long hot day of moving heavy packages.

She smiled at him, he looked as peaceful as an angel. Her day's work was through and she decided to get ready for bed. She went to the bathroom, which she noticed was much bigger than the one in her old apartment. She pulled her light pink dust marred tank top over her head with ease and then let her jean shorts and plain white panties slip onto the floor. She bent over and turned on the faucet, twisting the chrome handles left and right until luke warm water rushed out of faucet. As the crystal clear water filled the tub Kira searched in the cabinet underneath the sink for some bathing soap. To her surprise she found a vast supply of bathing salts, bubble bath, and shower gels in every scent there was. Kira assumed that they all belonged to Harumi. They'd broken up weeks ago and if Harumi hadn't come for them now she'd probably never come for them. Kira smiled as she opened each bottle of bath bubble liquid and sniffed it, not only did she get to move in with her friend and start over but she got a years supply of bathing supplies to go with it. They all smelled so good, vanilla's, citrus scents, berries, creamy and flowery scents it was hard to decide. She reached out and grabbed the first bottle that grazed her hand. She looked at the label, it read 'lush berry.' After taking a quick whiff of it she smiled and poured a capful of the thick syrupy liquid into the tub and put the bottle back in it's place.

Kira slid into the tub and and closed her eyes as the sweet berry scented steam dulled her scented and almost lulled her to sleep. The warm water hugged the slight curves of her body felt good, but she found herself wishing it were Rei instead. It felt like ages since the last time she received a call from him. Maybe it was for the best since each call only made her miss him even more, as if it were even possible. A familiar pang of pain was felt in her heart and she tried to divert her thoughts to something else, something that didn't hurt as much. The clock on the wall chirped as it did each hour, on the hour. She looked up and a gasp escaped her lips. It was eleven o'clock already and she had a job interview to attend tomorrow.

She searched under the water and plucked the rubber drain stopper with her fingers and then got out of the tub and dried herself off with a towel. She changed into an oversized t-shirt and then headed for bed.

The next morning she woke up earlier than usual. She'd have to make breakfast for two and not one that morning. Kira busied herself with chopping vegetables, mixing pancake batter and seasoning meat for that night's dinner. If she was going to be staying with Tatsuya and paying close to nothing for rent she wanted to at least make herself useful.

"Good morning Kira," Tatsuya said in a raspy voice that showed that he just woke up.

Kira looked at him from over her shoulder. "Good morning!" she said in her usual cheerful voice. "I made breakfast, I hope that you like it."

Tatsuya smiled at her, he already knew that he'd like anything she prepared for him. He fought the blush creeping on his cheeks when she bent over him and placed the plate o food in front of him. Her long hair brushing past his ear, her warm breath tickling his cheeks and her familiar vanilla scent was almost too much for him to handle. It was becoming harder and harder to keep his hands to himself and not proclaim his love for her each and every day.

She fixed her own plate and sat down in front of him. Kira watched as Tatsuya cut the fluffy pancakes into bit sized pieces before finally taking a bite of it. "Well, how is it?" she asked, giving him a minute to chew and swallow.

"It's good. I didn't know you could cook this well," he said as he took another bite.

"Really, I'm glad you like it," she gushed, taking a bite of her own breakfast.

They made small talk about current events and the weather as they finished their meals. Tatsuya finished first and was closely followed by Kira. He saw her getting up to wash the dishes but beat her to it.

"It's not fair for the cook to slave over the stove and have to wash the dishes too," he reasoned.

"Thank you," she said, placing her dish and cup next to each other. She walked to the door and looked back at Tatsuya who wore the same clothes he wore to sleep, blue and white striped boxers and a white t-shirt. This being their first day living together in his apartment they hadn't really settled into a routine. "So um, I've got an interview soon. I'll be back by fiveish," she told him.

Tatsuya turned away from the sink to watch as she walked out of the door. She was still there watching him to his surprise. "'Kay. Be safe, I'll see you later," he replied.

She nodded and left, turning the door behind her.

...Back Home after the interview ...

Kira stepped through the door of the apartment and let out a long sigh that had built up during the day. She never thought that she'd be so grateful to be home. The energy she'd been meaning to save for cooking dinner that night was sapped completely during her four hour wait online to be seen by the man who interviewed her. Even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would quiet her rumbling stomach.

"Aww, Tatsuya... You didn't have to do all this!" she said with a smile when she saw the elaborate dinner he set out for her. She looked around the room, looking for the man who was responsible for cooking her dinner.

"Oh, you're home," Tatsuya said as he emerged from the bathroom down the hall. He walked over to join her.

Kira looked him over as he approached. She had to admit it, he looked especially handsome tonight. He wore faded blue jeans, a white undershirt and a black button down shirt. When he stepped into the kitchen and into the pale light of the candles he lit on the tables she noticed the stubble of a beard on his face. The blonde hairs on his face made him look several years older.

Tatsuya noticed how she gazed at his chin and jaw line and self consciously stroked it to make sure that everything was in place. "You like? I uh... I wanted to try something different," he told her as he pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

"It looks nice," she managed to squeak out. It looked better than good, it made him look... sexy, no longer cute like the old high school Tatsuya she'd grown accustomed to.

"I bet you're hungry... I made this thing I saw in a magazine. It's called citrus grilled chicken... It's about as fancy as I get when it comes to cooking," he said with an added laugh.

Kira smiled back at him as she took the covers off of the containers of food on the table before her. "Sounds interesting," she said as she shared out food for herself.

The dinner didn't last long, it felt like moments after they set their plates they were already licking their fingers and wondering where the rest of the food was.

"Mmm, that was good," she said delightedly although it was unnecessary. Tatsuya could tell how much she enjoyed the meal by how quickly she wolfed it down. "I'm going to go and clean up then maybe we can watch a movie or something," she suggested.

Tatsuya nodded and cleaned up the kitchen and himself before joining her in the living room. He stood in the doorway and looked around, wondering where he should sit. Before she moved in with him he decided that he would make her his. After all everyone deserved a fair shot at happiness and she deserved far more than the little Rei was offering. With them living together she was bound to figure out what she was missing and come around. He sat on the love seat and placed his arm on the top of it, so that when she came to join him she'd have no choice other than to be close to him.

She appeared in the doorway, came and sat down next to him. Even though he turned on the television and turned to the channel that was airing the movie she'd been waiting to see for weeks all she could focus on was how close he was to her. She could feel his body heat and within minutes she found herself leaning in towards him.

Tatsuya noticed this and let his arm drape around her shoulder. Kira looked at his hand resting on her shoulder and then looked up at him in confusion. His warm brown eyes watched her intensely. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze she scooted away from him and his hand fell onto her lower back. Tatsuya brought his other hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back onto the couch. Her body was stiff with fear underneath his body.

"Tatsuya I..." the rest of her words were swallowed by his lips. A few moments later he came up for air, his eyes still closed in bliss. He stroked his nose against hers, causing her to emit a giggle. He rested his forehead against hers and let out a happy sigh. He couldn't have counted the numerous times that he dreamt of this. She kissed him back, releasing the tension that built up within her while she pined after Rei. She envisioned Rei's face and his long hair against her face. She opened her eyes, saw Tatsuya and yelped. He stopped and looked at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, wondering why she stopped after seeming like she was enjoying it.

"It's late and uh... I should go to sleep. Good night Tatsuya," she squeaked out as she slid out from underneath him and escaped to her bedroom.

The next morning Kira woke up hours later than she intended to. She walked into the kitchen after a trip to the bathroom and found Tatsuya sitting at the table eating cold cereal and milk.

"Good morning," she greeted him softly as she slid into the chair across from him.

He nodded at her in greeting. "About last night, I just wanted you to know that I really," right before he proclaimed his love for her, she interrupted him.

"I'm glad, me too!" she said with a bright smile.

His lips curved upwards as he looked at her questioningly. "Really?" he asked, not thinking it would have been that easy to win her over.

"Yes, I've already forgotten about it. It... whatever it was isn't worth our friendship, yours with Rei, or my relationship with Rei," she said satisfied with her explanation.

Tatsuya stared at her, slack jawed, hurt and severely wounded. His heart ached each time it beat. Part of him expected this from her and felt foolish for expecting anything else. He'd always be second to Rei, in sports, popularity, looks, to Kira.

A white envelope caught her eyes and she reached out to read it. "When did this come?" she asked after reading her name on it's front flap.

"This morning. I was meaning to tell you," he said, avoiding eye contact with her.

She opened it and saw a sheet of paper that read 'I can't live without you, and I shouldn't have to,' in Rei' bold scrawl. A plane ticket dropped out and she jumped out of her seat squealing with delight. "Ah! Ohmigod! I don't believe it!" she cried.

Tatsuya looked up at her in confusion, he couldn't understand what could have caused that amount of excitement.

"Friday's the day! He sent me a ticket to go and be with him!" she said, her voice overflowing with pure estasy. She held the ticket to her chest and twirled around. "You'll drive me to the airport wont you?"

He nodded, not being able to bring himself to words. He knew he'd lost her for good.

Author's Notes- Hey there, long time no see eh? This chapter had been sitting in my notebook for quite some time it's a pain to sit down and type sometimes. I apologize to those who want Kira to wind up with Tatsuya, but worry not there's more TxK fluff and of course RxK fluff. The next chapter's going to be good! Do your thing, review review review!


	7. His Goddess

Disclaimer- This does not belong to me.

The days that followed the day Kira received the wonderful letter from Rei flew by with unusual quickness for Kira. For Tatsuya on the other hand it was painful, like the dull ache of a headache. All he thought about night and day was Kira, not that he thought about much else before but now things were different. He knew that he had to come up with something fast elswise he'd loose her for good. He wondered how things could have gone so wrong when he'd gone from friend of boyfriend to roommate. He'd even become as desperate as to consider spilling his soul to her. That however was very dangerous. If he told her and she felt the same then they'd live together happily ever after, if she didn't feel the same then she'd leave and he'd be left alone with the pain of rejection.

"Tatsuya, Tatsuya!" she called, waving her hand in front of his face to capture his attention. "So which should I take, this or this?" she asked, holding up a blue tube top and a sea foam green halter top. "It's hot in Arizona right? I hear they have desserts."

"Huh?" he asked, dazed from his intense daydream.

"I already explained this to you. I'm only taking enough clothes for two weeks and then you can send me the rest. You know with the limit on how much baggage you take and such," she said quickly. She held her two tops higher up. "So which ones?" she asked.

"Either is fine," he said with a tired sigh.

She rolled her eyes at him. "That's all you've been saying all week!" she told him. She looked at both and then folded them and placed them in her suit case. "I guess that's it then right?"

"I guess," he answered.

"Can you think of anything else I might need?" she asked him as she zipped up her large black suit case and slipped on the couch next to him.

"No, nothing at all," he said, trying real hard to hide the pain he felt inside.

Kira looked over at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. "I'm gonna miss you," she told him, placing her head on his shoulder.

Tatsuya closed his eyes and inhaled the beautiful smell of her hair. "I'm going to miss you too," he told her. "More than you'll ever know," he whispered, knowing she wouldn't be able to catch it.

"I wanted to thank you, for everything that you've done for me. You helped me get my feet back on the ground. I'll never forget that. I'll call you every week or more often," she then giggled. "How often am I supposed to call you? I don't quite know how this overseas friendship works," she said, lifting her head to look at him.

He smiled halfheartedly and shrugged. "Whenever you feel like it," he answered.

She grinned at him and placed a warm hand on his cheek. "Well, it's late and I'll need my strength for tomorrow morning won't I?"

"Yeah."

She nodded and walked off to her room, it was pretty bare now. All that was left was her bed, she'd put all her other things either in her suitcases or in boxes. Kira couldn't stop grinning, up until she was in her night clothes and underneath her covers. Tomorrow would be the day that she'd finally be with Rei again. She was so excited she couldn't sleep. She wondered what they'd say to each other, wondered what he'd look like. Maybe he'd cut his hair, or he'd gotten a tan from the harsh sun. No matter what she knew he'd look beautiful.

Tatsuya laid on the couch and glared angrily at the ceiling. He was furious with himself. He wondered when he'd become such a whimp. Why was it he couldn't bring himself to tell Kira how he truly felt? In fact he could barely bring himself to look at her let alone speak to her like he could before. Perhaps it was because he knew that within twenty four hours she'd be across the world and would have completely forgotten about him.

By the time they both fell asleep it was time for them to head towards the airport. Neither ate, both perhaps too nervous of what events lay ahead of them. The ride there was painstakingly quiet. There was no traffic and most stores were closed and nobody walked the streets so there was nothing to look at.

They pulled up to the front and Tatsuya unlocked her door with the push of a button on his arm rest. He jumped out and piled her suitcases on one of the carts. "You take this and go ahead and check you baggage's. I'll park the car and meet up with you."

She nodded and began to push it towards the doors. She sensed some sort of sadness in him and it bothered her that she didn't know what to do or say to make it go away. She asked herself if her place really was with Rei and then remembered promising to stay by him no matter what and knew her answer.

With her plane ticket and passport in hand she approached the desk, ready to hand them over and walk through the door onto the plane. The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering angrily and her heart was beating her rib cage to dust.

After all her papers were verified and handed back to her Kira turned back to Tatsuya to say her final goodbye.

"Well this is t," she said, prompting Tatsuya to say something. He'd been silent all morning.

He looked at her with sad eyes and nodded. "Have a safe flight, call me as soon as you can to let me know that you've arrived safely," he told her. The tiny voice in the back of his head was quickly driving him mad. He felt like if he didn't confess his feelings to her his head would explode.

"I will," she said, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"Last call for flight 280, direct flight to Arizona, USA," came the crisp voice over the loud speaker.

"That's me. Goodbye Tatsuya. Can't thank you enough for all you've done for me," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek before turning and headed towards the gate.

"No, wait!" he said, finally giving into his feelings.

She stopped and turned to him. "Yes?" she asked, looking at him strangely.

"Please don't go!" he said with alarming urgency. He ran up to her and held her hands in his and then knelt down before her, looking up at her with the eyes of a puppy. "I love you, always have and always will. I know the timing is bad but I swear that if you stay with me I'll make you the happiest girl on earth," he said. He could feel his hands becoming sweaty as he awaited her response.

She opened her mouth to speak but the words refused to come. She was too shocked to speak or move.

"Again, last call for flight 208," said the announcer.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go. love you Tatsuya, but the way you love me. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused," she said quickly before turning and leaving behind a very heartbroken Tatsuya.

He watched Kira from his kneeling position, feeling very much like a fool. His heart was crushed into smaller pieces with each step she took. She walked through the door and out of Tatsuya's life. He let out an angry sigh and dropped his gaze to the shiny floor of the airport. He cursed Rei in his head for having such a tight hold on Kira's heart. He cursed himself as well, perhaps if he'd been more honest with his feelings from the beginning and told Rei that he wanted her for himself Rei wouldn't have gone out with her and he wouldn't feel the way he did now. He got up from the floor and dusted off his knees with his hands. The damage was done and he assumed that would be best if he moved on.

The drive from the airport was lonely and he only felt worse upon entering his apartment. It was awfully quiet and the boxes containing Kira's belongings only felt worse upon entering his apartment. It was awfully quiet and the boxes containing Kira's belongings only made his heart ache for her more. He'd have to ship them to her in a week or so. At this moment he wished that he kept going out with Harumi. Even if he didn't love her he could keep the illusion of being happy and he mightn't feel completely empty. The thought of calling her was extremely tempting but he figured that she'd probably be angry with him and so he decided to pack away Kira's things in the storage closet and attempt to forget about her.

On the plane Kira was quickly growing tired of gazing at the clouds outside. After many hours the fluffy white clouds against the bright blue sky became boring, for they were seemingly unchanging. She spent a few minutes gazing at the other passengers, but sleeping subjects weren't much fun either. She decided to follow suit and too fell asleep.

Her sleep was fitful as she was tormented with Tatsuya's pained expression. What happened in the airport was a blur in her memory. How could Tatsuya have feelings for her after so long? What was he thinking when he confessed to her? What did he expect her to do? How did he think it would make her feel to know that her best friend, her boyfriend's best friend had feelings for her? Did Rei know? Perhaps that was why he seemed to turn a cold shoulder to Tatsuya all of a sudden. It was all to confusing and trying to make sense of it all.

After what felt like hours they finally arrived at the airport safely. Kira unbuckled her seat belt as soon as the lighted icon above her head deemed it safe and got her hand luggage. The bright light that hit her when she stepped out the door of the airplane and made her way down the stairs almost blinded her. She feared that she'd lose her footing. It would have been horrible if the first time Rei saw her she had a black eye.

When she stepped onto the ground she stepped aside and looked around for an escort of some sort, she was told she'd have one in the letter Rei sent her with the plane ticket. Her eye's spotted a group of three men and took a few steps in their direction, hoping it would be someone to help her find Rei. She got closer and when she could identify the faces she saw that it was Rei who stood in the middle of two body guards. Kira's heart skipped a trillion beats, he was just as beautiful as the first time she laid eyes on him.

They made eye contact and Rei cracked a toothful smile and began to jog towards her, closely followed by his two protectors. She too quickened towards him and when they got close enough he threw his arms around her and held her tightly in his arms. His grip soon became too tight and she could feel her lungs constricting from the lack of air.

"Rei! Too tight!" she squealed.

He immediately let her go and began to blush. "Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?" he asked with a shy smile. He reached out and stroked her cheek.

"About as long as I've wanted to kiss you," she said, closing her eyes and leaning towards him.

He leaned down and ever so gently caressed her soft and plump lips with his own. Rei let out a soft moan and then reached out to bring her closer. Kira savored the kiss like it could be their last.

They parted and she looked up at him with loving eyes. It was amazing how much someone can change yet look the same as they did before. His pale skin had been tanned beautifully by the strong sun of Arizona, his blonde hair was still long but better groomed and no longer unruly. He even grew a little facial hair, which made Rei look a good five years older that he really was. His eyes however still held the same warmth and his touch was more calming and realizing than anything else, and that made Kira happy.

ALERT ALERT ALERT- I'd like to start a C2 (look it up, it's a new community for writers type thing here at ). If anyone is interested in joining, becoming an official, suggestions, etc put it in your review, or email me at 


	8. Her Inspiration

Disclaimer- This story does not belong to me although I'd like to have Rei on a slice of toast :wink wink:

**Her Inspiration**

A half an hour later Rei and Kira were both sitting quietly in his limousine. Kira was looking out of her window intensely, trying to soak in everything she could about Arizona. She was simply amazed by the change of scenery, the cacti and bright blue skies and lack of buildings, it was all very beautiful to her. Rei, having driven, walked and ridden his bike past the area several times was no longer fascinated by the scene. He instead satisfied himself with watching Kira. He felt like if he blinked or looked away she'd disappear and he'd wake up to find the blissful moment to be nothing more than a dream.

She looked back at him as if she could feel him watching her and giggled softly. "What's the matter?" she asked him, forgetting about the scenery for a moment.

He smiled mischievously and slid closer to her. "Nothing..." he said as he pushed the hair from her face with his hands. He kissed her forehead gently.

"Mhmm," he said as he kissed her nose playfully. "What do you say we skip dinner and go straight to my hotel?" he asked as he nuzzled her nose with his own.

"But I'm hungry," Kira replied, looking up at him with her large brown eyes that she knew he couldn't resist.

"We can order food whenever," he told her, trying to put up a fight as he kissed her chin.

"Exactly, so let's go to the finest Italian restaurant now and then we can go to your hotel," she said as she gave him a quick peck on the lips and scooted back over to the window.

Rei frowned a bit and then poured himself a glass of champagne from the icebox. "To the finest Italian restaurant in the city Alfred," he called to the driver who nodded and made a right, almost causing Rei to lose hold of his drink. After ten minutes he fell asleep and left Kira to her in-car sight seeing.

A half an hour passed and the limo stopped infront of a ritzy looking restaraunt. Kira looked out the window on the other side and poked Rei in his side to try and get him to wake up. Rei almost jumped out of his seat and quickly wiped the drool from the side of his mouth. She giggled and ran her hands through his hair to make it look presentable again.

"I was wondering if you still drooled," she said playfully to him as he opened the door and waited for her to get out.

He rolled her eyes at her. "I don't drool," he said as he stuck his nose in the air.

"Oh yeah? Then what's this?" she asked as she took a sheet of paper towel from her pocket and wiped away at a spot he missed and waved it in front of his face.

He snatched it and threw it in a garbage can. "Now what evidence do you have?" he asked her.

She took her hand in his and squeezed it lovingly. "I suppose I can collect more evidence tonight then," she told him.

He held the heavy glass door open for her and she stepped in.She stopped in the lobby and turned back at him looking frightened. "I was only joking when I asked you to take me to the best restaurant!" she insisted. "I don't think I'm dressed nicely enough!" she panicked as she watched an overly enhanced blonde woman walk past in a glittering black gown and high heeled shoes.

"Nobody cares, you're with Rei Kashino the world's best motorcycle racer remember?" he told her before he went to the front asking the waitor for a seat. "Do you want to pick the seats Kira?" he asked her.

She pouted and answered "Anywhere where we can't be seen," she said. "Or better yet can we have it to go?" she asked.

"Fine, I'll pick," Rei answered before turning back to the waiter. In minutes they were being led to an empty table for two in the center of the restaraunt.

"But Rei we're in the center all the well dressed women will look at me and whisper about how unkept my hair is and how wrinkly my shirt is! Oh you're evil!" she whined as she sat down before him.

"I don't remember you being this self conscious..." he muttered as he browsed through the menu although he already knew what he was going to order.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be a pain it's just that I know that you're a really big deal over here and I don't want to embarrass you," she told him quietly.

"You'll never do anything to embarrass me sweety. I don't care what you wear as long as you're next to me. However it would be hot to see you in a dress like that," he said nudging his head towards a tall woman sitting at the table behind him.

Kira gasped and kicked him under the table after glancing at the woman he was referring to. The brunette woman was wearing a bright coral sequined dress without straps that seemed to be taped on because of how closely it clung to her voluptuous body, Kira was beginning to get the idea that all women in America dressed this way. Rei knew she was far too modest for a dress like that. Kira ignored Rei's naughtiness and changed the subject. "I should have paid more attention in English class... I don't know what any of this says," she complained.

"Oh I forgot that you don't speak English. Well what do you want? There's chicken, pork, beef and seafood," Rei asked her. They finally got their order together and soon afterwards the waitress came to their table and took their order.

As they spoke in English and as Kira listened to everyone around her speaking English she'd never felt more out of place or foreign. Rei read her like a book and saw her discomfort and reached across the table and took her hand in his reassuringly. "You ok?" he asked.

She put on a smile so quickly that it wasn't hard to see how fake it was and nodded. "I think it would have been better if we just went to your hotel," Kira told him as she admired the intricate lace on the round table, the neatly folded silken napkins on the sides of the beautiful silver cutlery and glass plates, bowls and wine glasses along with the sophisticated candle in the center of the table that burned brightly. It was finer than anything she'd seen in Japan, not that she ever went too far from her city Tokyo or enjoyed all that they had to offer.

"I told you," he said with a wink. "Don't worry I have many events planned for the rest of the afternoon."

The food was quickly brought to their table and Kira ate heartily. As she was told it would be the food on the plane was horrible and she was dying for food that actually tasted like it was seasoned.. Rei couldn't help but smile as he watched her eat and noticed how she didn't pay much attention to which fork was used for what and how she was supposed to hold the cup. The girls Rei met so far at business dinners in the States tended to care far too much about their weight and only picked at a salad and indulged only in water.

After finishing his food he asked the waiter to take a thirty dollar tip, much to Kira's surprise, and they quickly headed out.

"What happened to the limo?" Kira asked him worriedly as she looked around quickly.

"Don't worry the hotel is near here, we can walk if you don't mind," Rei told her taking her hand in his.

"Okay then, that sounds good," Kira said with a nod and a smile. "It's so nice out now that the sun is down. Is it always like this here? Scorching in the day and breezy during the night?" she asked him as she looked up at him. She'd always liked and found comfort in the way Rei towered over her in height. It made her feel safe.

"Yup," he answered, swinging her hand back and forth.

"You live in a hotel? I thought you lived here, like permanently," Kira asked him.

"Only sometimes, I go wherever the races are. Sometimes there here, sometimes in California. I haven't decided where I wanna put down roots yet," Rei explained, figuring that she wanted to know why he hadn't purchased a house or rented an apartment yet. "Anywho I like having people clean my room and bring up my food," he added.

"You could buy a house and hire servants," Kira suggested. Deep down she'd always dreamt of starting a family with him and settling in a nice suburban home. She never mentioned it though because he never seemed to be the family guy type.

He shrugged and they kept on walking in silence for a while. Kira took the opportunity to look up at the night sky that burned brightly with stars. "Back in Tokyo it was impossible to see the stars with all the buildings and bright lights that never turned off," she said to nobody in particular.

"Yeah, that's one of the things I like about here. I was sort of thinking that maybe after the races are done for the season that we could settle out here perhaps," he mentioned.

Kira beamed up at him. "That sounds perfect," she said quickly.

He smiled down at her. "It was only a thought you know," he added.

They walked the next few blocks in silence and soon found themselves standing in front of the Marriot Hotel that Rei was staying in. "This is it he announced."

"Wow, it's huge," she said looking up at it, from where she was standing it seemed like the building had no end.

"I know, and I got the room at the top floor too, it's amazing!"

Rei told her as he held the door open for her.

She almost leaned over and took off her shoes before stepping in but then noticed that everyone one else left theirs on. As she bent over to untie her shoelaces before she remembered this her fingers grazed the unbelievably soft red carpet on the floor. It felt too expensive to be walked on. Everything else there was just as grand as the carpet, the employees were richly dressed in fancy uniforms of red and green and the check in counter was made of marble.

"Oh, I forgot my luggage!" she exclaimed as she began to panic.

"Don't worry I had somebody take care of it, it should be up in the room," he told her with a smile, it was cute the way she fretted over the littlest things.

After a three minute ride in the see through elevator they arrived at Rei's suite.

"It's so beautiful in here!" she gasped as she ran to all the corners of the room. "It's gorgeous, my God Rei!" she said as she looked at the view from the large window their penthouse room. The chandelier hanging above the bed was dripping what seemed to be real diamonds and the sheets on the king sized bed were definitely 450 count sheets from the finest linen.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist inhaling the never changing scent of her hair. "It is beautiful," Rei said as he leaned down further to place several kisses on her neck.

She turned to face him in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. He made a trail of kisses starting at the base of her neck and ending at her lips. They shared a passionate kiss that was more daring than Kira's usual character.

"Mmm, do you want this as much as I do right now?" he asked her seductively as he led her to the bed in between their fiery kisses.

She nodded eagerly and got on the bed, taking a moment to marvel at how soft and cushiony the bed was. The moment didn't last long because in seconds Rei climbed on top of her and began to undress her, starting with her top and then quickly starting with her bottoms. An hour later the clothes were scattered all over the floor and they lay naked in the bed underneath the covers.

"That was good..." she murmured as she made circles on Rei's tanned very toned hairless chest with her fingers. "I'm suddenly filled with the inspiration to paint, after months of being filled without anything. I could barely even pick up a brush," she added as she ran her hands up and down his chest and then back up, her hand resting on his nipples.

He licked his lips and placed his hand over hers. "Aww, come on you know what that does to me..." he whispered.

She nodded against his chest and crawled on top of him "I know," she said as she placed a warm and gentle kiss on his lips.

Author's Notes- DUUUDE! It's been ages since I've written anything and I'm really glad to have been able to crank out this chapter. I hope that I'll be able to write another chapter soon. Please review!


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